An Audience
by GossipGirlHere
Summary: Ron and Hermione are fighting again, and all of Gryffindor House has turned up to watch. When Hermione asks the crucial question "Why do you care?" will Ron dissapoint again? Not if the audience can help it.
1. An Audience

Harry walked into the common room to find a huge group of people lining the walls, and Ron and Hermione in the middle of the room, bellowing at each other.

Harry tapped Parvarti's shoulder and asked in a whisper, "What's it about this time?"

"Well," she said, "apparently Ron stole a letter that Viktor wrote to Hermione, and she got really angry, saying that he had no right to do that and then…well, the usual." She sighed and turned her attention back to the fight.

Harry looked around and saw that all of Gryffindor House seemed to be lining the walls, some looked worried, but most looked entertained. Harry was torn; if he was honest with himself he knew that he found this funny, because it was so obvious that Ron and Hermione liked each other. However, as their best friend he knew he ought to be a bit more concerned, but, after all, they had done this sort of thing before.

"Ron it is none of your business if Viktor writes to me!" Hermione had tears streaming down her face, and Harry couldn't tell if they were from anger or hurt, he imagined it was a little bit of both.

"It is too my business!"

"Is not! And anyway, why do you care?"

"You're one of my best friends, and I don't want that guy hurting you!" The entire room groaned. Hermione had just given Ron a way to tell her that he loved her, and as usual he had side-stepped it, and come up with a lame excuse.

"The only guy hurting me right now is _you_!"

"Hermione, you know I wouldn't hurt you on purpose!"

"Oh and why is that?"

The room was so silent that you could have heard if someone dropped a pin in one of the dormitories three floors above. Ron seemed unable to say anything; he looked like he was having an internal battle.

Hermione turned away and said, "Whatever, Ron. You can never just give me a straight answer." She walked towards the girls dormitories with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"UGH YOU IDIOTS!!!" cried George, "HE LOVES YOU! _THAT'S_ WHY HE CARES WHEN YOU WRITE TO VIKTOR!"

"What?" asked Hermione, looking confused.

Once George had said something everyone began putting in their two cents.

"You idiots have both been in love with each other for years and you never _do_ anything about it!" said Ginny.

"Everyone else has figured it out!" said Lavender.

"I don't get why this is so difficult! You like her, she likes you, this isn't exactly N.E.W.T. standard transfiguration!" said Seamus.

"Can you just ask her out, PLEASE!" begged Dean, "I want to wrap this up before dinner."

Several people murmured in agreement.

"Is that true?" asked Hermione softly.

"Yeah, I didn't want to tell you because I thought that you didn't feel the same way, and that it would ruin our friendship," replied Ron.

"Didn't think she'd feel the same way?" asked Fred, incredulously, "Are you really that thick? Come to think of it, I can't figure out _why_ she feels the same way, since you apparently _are_ that thick."

Several people chuckled.

"Do you feel the same way?"

Hermione nodded.

"Kiss her!" called Angelina from the back of the crowed. But Ron didn't really need her to tell him what to do, because the second after she nodded he reached out and kissed her. The moment their lips touched the entire room applauded and there were several wolf-whistles, as well as whispers of "About time."

"You want to go out?" asked Ron, after they had broken apart.

"Yes," said Hermione, beaming, then she whispered so that just Ron could hear, "but next time you ask me out, can you do it without an audience."

Ron nodded again as he leaned in to kiss her.

"What is going on here?" asked Professor McGonagall, "I can hear this racket from two floors down, explain this please!"

Harry gestured wordlessly to Ron and Hermione, who hadn't noticed McGonagall's entrance, and were still snogging in the middle of the room, the entire crowed watching.

"Oh well that's alright then, just please ask them to refrain from a public display in the Great Hall, I can't imagine the noise that would ensue." said McGonagall. As it turned out she had a soft spot for the couple, because the entire school had been waiting for them to go out, not just Gryffindor house. As she left Harry heard her mumble under hear breath, "About time."

The crowed slowly dispersed, offering Ron and Hermione their congratulations. Eventually it was just the two of them, sitting side by side on the couch. After a while Ron said, "Do you want to go down to dinner now?"

"Sure," she replied standing up, her hand still in his, "but if that was Gryffindor's reaction I can't imagine how the whole school will act when we walk in hand in hand."

"It will be worse when we do this," said Ron, as he leaned in and kissed her.


	2. An Even Bigger Audience

Ron and Hermione walked into the Great Hall to tumultuous applause. They couldn't figure out why, because all they were doing was holding hands, but then they spotted Fred and George who were standing up at the staff table. For some reason none of the staff were there, and a small part of Ron's brain wondered what Fred and George had done to get rid of them. In any case Fred was speaking into a magical megaphone.

"And there they are folks, Hogwarts' number one couple!" The entire hall cheered, though both Ron and Hermione noticed that the Slytherin table was empty.

Hermione, blushing furiously, tried to turn around and leave, but Ron whispered in her ear, "Are you hungry or what?"

She sighed, before walking with him towards the Gryffindor table.

Meanwhile, George had taken the megaphone from Fred and was saying, "Now, will all of those who have taken bets with us and our sister Ginny," he pointed to where Ginny was sitting at the Gryffindor table, "about whether or not this lot," he pointed at Ron and Hermione, "would get together, please come forward to either pay up, or accept you're money. If you do not come to collect your reward, we won't remind you. However, if you don't pay up, Ginny has a mean bat-bogy-hex, and she's not afraid to use it!"

Ginny got up to join Fred and George at the front of the hall, and to Ron and Hermione's surprise three-fourths of the Gryffindor table followed suit, including Harry. Nearly half the Hufflepuffs and a quarter of the Ravenclaws went up to Fred and George as well.

When Harry returned, carrying twenty galleons and looking very pleased with himself, to sit across from Ron and Hermione Ron asked him, looking outraged, "How many people have been talking about us behind our backs?"

"Well," said Harry, "Sorry to break it to you, mate, but people have been betting on your relationship since fourth year."

"They haven't!" said Hermione, looking shocked.

"And when did _you_ put your money on us getting together?" asked Ron accusatorily.

"Well, Fred and George opened it up for bets after the Yule Ball, and I put ten galleons on you getting together right away, after all Ron, you were super-jealous of Krum."

Ron blushed, but Hermione looked pleased.

"Then," Harry continued, "two months ago, after the whole Lavender fiasco, I thought that it seemed even more likely now. I mean, you had almost died," he said looking over at Ron, "and because you guys hadn't spoken in months you felt guilty," he said looking at Hermione, "so it just seemed even more likely than before, so I added another ten galleons to my bet. I was allowed to add money, just not take away money, and if you weren't together by the last day of seventh year, then I'd have to pay up. But I was pretty sure you would, because seriously, Hermione, you were so jealous."

It was Hermione's turn to blush.

"Well," said Ron, smugly, "I can see why you were super jealous. What with my amazing Quiditch skills and super good looks, combined with my charm, who wouldn't be?"

Hermione hit his arm, and he said, in a mock-hurt tone, "Now, Hermione is that any way to treat your boyfriend?"

"No," said Hermione, sweetly, "How's this?"

She leaned over and kissed him. It started out sweet, but then it deepened. They had been snogging for about a minute when Colin Creevy came over and snapped a photo. He promptly handed the camera over to Fred and said, "Forty galleons, please."

"You're price is steep kid," said George, while Colin raised an eyebrow. "But worth it," he conceded.

"Here you go!" said Fred with glee, handing a bag of galleons to Colin, before turning to the crowd and saying, "Pictures of their first PDA, 2 galleons each!"

By now Ron and Hermione had broken apart to see the crowd swarming around Fred and George.

"I can't _wait_ to show this to mum!" said George.

"Come on," said Ron to Hermione, and they got up to leave. When they reached the door to the hall Ron looked at Hermione and said, "How mad would you be if I made their day?" he gestured towards the crowd still surrounding Fred and George.

"That depends on how."

And he kissed her. It was so passionate that they both totally forgot the audience that was cheering and wolf whistling. They didn't even notice the multiple flashes that meant Colin had taken his camera out again.

After a couple minutes they broke apart for air, though they still didn't seem to notice the crowd at all.

They did, however, notice when Fred and George walked past and said, "We could add an entire new section to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. 'Ron and Hermione: The History of Hogwarts' Number One Couple.'"

A small crowed of students followed Fred and George out of the hall, looking to satisfy their bets, or buy photos. However, they were stopped by none other than Severus Snape.

"Weasley!"

"And to which Weasley are you referring to?" asked Fred.

"Because you see," continued George, "there are, in fact, four Weasleys in this hall at the moment."

"And," finished Fred, "I am inclined to think that you are looking for _that_ Weasley," he pointed at Ron, "considering that he is the cause of all of this commotion."

"No, Weasley," said Snape, looking murderous, "I am sure it was _you_ and you're pestilential twin that shoved me in a broom cupboard on my way into the Great Hall, and cast the charm that made it unopenable, even by magic, from the inside. If Mr. Malfoy," he gestured towards a smug looking Draco, "hadn't passed and heard me knocking I would still be in there. Detention."

"But professor," said George, in a mock-reasonable tone, "I believe it would still be Ron and Hermione's fault, because if it hadn't been for them, we wouldn't have _needed_ to shove you in a closet."

"I fail to see how Miss Granger and Mr. _Ronald_ Weasley affected your ability to shove me in a closet."

"Well, professor, if you will care to look at Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley," said Fred, "they are holding hands. Obviously George and I wanted to make an announcement about this and collect our respective betting money, because, as I am sure you know, betting is completely in line with Hogwarts rules. We knew that you would be disinclined to hear such a racket in the Great Hall, but felt it would be rude to ask you to leave. There were, as you saw, no other teacher in the Great Hall, otherwise they would've joined you in the closet."

"Granger, Weasley," said Snape looking at Ron and Hermione, "Twenty points from Gryffindor for disrupting peace at this school. As for _you_," he turned to Fred and George, "detention. Saturday night, my office, be there at eight sharp." And with that he swept away, up the marble staircase.

"Was it really worth twenty Gryffindor points and a detention?" asked Ron skeptically.

"Little bro," said Fred seriously, "Do you see this," he gestured to the crowed that was waiting for his and George's full attention, "Do you realize how much money you've made us?"

"I think we should get a percentage," said Hermione.

"Not of the bet money! If you bet on a Quiditch game, do the teams get a percentage? Of course not! So why should you?" said George looking outraged.

"Than at least of the money you get from the photo," said Hermione, "because, you can't legally sell those without our permission."

Fred and George looked appraisingly at Hermione; they knew that she was the type of person who would pursue this legally.

"We'll give you ten percent," said Fred.

"Fifty!" said Ron.

"Fifty? Are you _mental_?!? Fifteen," said George.

"Forty," said Ron.

"Twenty-five!" said Fred.

Hermione and Ron looked at each other and then nodded. Then, Hermione drew out her wand and conjured a piece or parchment. She handed it to Fred and said, "Sign."

Fred and George read it over and then both signed. Afterwards Ron and Hermione signed and Hermione put it away in her bag.

"Now that that's done with," said George, as he turned to the crowd, "Who wants photos?"

As the group surrounding the twins went up the marble staircase Ron and Hermione went out into the grounds.

They settled down by the lake, their feet in the water, just sitting and talking. Occasionally students would walk by and wolf-whistle, or offer congratulations, but for the most part they were undisturbed.

"I can't believe it took us longer to figure out we liked each other than it did the rest of the school!" said Ron in disbelief.

"Yeah, and if it wasn't for the audience we still wouldn't be together," said Hermione.

"Yeah, I will have to thank George for that; after all, he opened up our fight for commentary," said Ron. They both laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation. "And," he continued, "we get a nice payoff from those photos."

"Is that the only reason you're going out with me?" asked Hermione, in mock concern.

"That and this," said Ron, and he leaned in to kiss her.

As they broke apart Hermione whispered, "I love you," but regretted it at once. Neither of them had said it yet, and she hadn't wanted to say it first.

"I love you too," said Ron, without missing a beat.

As they kissed again Hermione was glad there wasn't an audience this time, but, she reminded herself, having an audience did have its perks, sometimes.


End file.
